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November room Challenge- Kitchen! - Page 3

post #41 of 78
11/17/08 at 2:32am
Stuff on the counters drives me nuts! I put our toaster away after every use and it drives DH crazy because he likes toast for breakfast. We don't drink coffee but if we did you bet I'd put that coffee maker away every morning!!

My current issue I have run into is relatively minor - my mom got me a food processor for my birthday. This sucker is HUGE. I have no idea where I am going to fit it. We do have a lot of cabinet space for an apartment, but I'm completely out of ideas. It might fit under the sink but only after Christmas as I'm storing an extra breadmaker for my friend's Christmas present there.

I'm trying to decide what to do with this popcorn machine we have. It's brand new and would be nice to have, but we don't eat popcorn much and I don't know if I should keep it or not. Le sigh.

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post #42 of 78
11/17/08 at 11:19am
I'm doing as many of my cabinets as possible today. I can't wait to get rid of a bunch of JUNK! If I'm brave enough, I'll post pics.
post #43 of 78
11/17/08 at 12:02pm
This weekend we tackled the storage/pantry closet. I took EVERYTHING out and it looked like a bomb went off. Our place was a disaster. I threw out tons of stuff and I’m sure I will hear it from DH in the next few months when he realizes some of his clutter is ummm missing : Some things I know better and did not throw away even though DH never uses them! I went to Ikea and bought these $14 shelving units, plastic bins and hooks for the wall. It’s all done now and looks great! I will post pics soon.

Next weekend we are going to finish up the kitchen. I still need DH to install the cabinet locks on the lower cabinets.
post #44 of 78
11/17/08 at 9:18pm
this thread got me started on my goals! still no pics...sorry
-took everything off the counter and CLEANED it all down (minimal used items on the counter...other stuff put in their place)
-took all the jackets and hoodies that were near the door and hanging on every single chair, hook, or door handle was taken to the front door closet or bedroom closet
-put scarves, gloves, and hats in a basket by the back-door :

still more to do...but i'm into these room challenges yay:
post #45 of 78
11/17/08 at 10:54pm
slsurface - how are you feeling? Hope the recovery is going well.

Ok ladies....here are the pics from this weekend during the pantry/storage decluttering:

Before

During

After

So glad it's done. Now I move onto the dining room/kitchen
post #46 of 78
11/18/08 at 4:00pm
My kitchen looks like a disaster zone! I hope this challenge will motivate me! Everything needs a good wipe-down--cabinets, counters, microwave, fridge. We have a table that we don't eat on and it's covered with mail and newspapers. Cabinets are completely cluttered and never stay organized. I think we just have too much stuff.
post #47 of 78
11/18/08 at 4:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CanidFL View Post
Ok ladies....here are the pics from this weekend during the pantry/storage decluttering:

Before

During

After

So glad it's done. Now I move onto the dining room/kitchen
It looks great! I love the feeling when something is finally organized and cleaned. It gives me motivation to do other things.
post #48 of 78
11/18/08 at 7:10pm
CandidFL - WOW! You should be extremely proud of yourself!

I'll post pantry pics, it's done. My eating area is done too (minus curtains) and my kitchen still needs... something.
post #49 of 78
11/19/08 at 10:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by CanidFL View Post
slsurface - how are you feeling? Hope the recovery is going well.
I'm doing much better, thanks. My abdomen is still rather bruised, but I'm only taking painkillers at night. I still can't lift anything over 15 lbs, which makes housework difficult. At least I can move around without a lot of pain now.

Quote:
Originally Posted by CanidFL View Post
Ok ladies....here are the pics from this weekend during the pantry/storage decluttering:

Before

During

After

So glad it's done. Now I move onto the dining room/kitchen
Wow! What a great job!
post #50 of 78
11/19/08 at 11:52pm
OK, I hate my kitchen so much that I've been avoiding this thread.

So, here are some pictures:
This is looking into my kitchen. You can't see it, but the floor is this absolutely horrendous faux brick linoleum that always, always looks dirty.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y11...cture_4452.jpg

This is all the counter space I have
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y11...cture_4453.jpg

The other side of the kitchen. My microwave is on top of the fridge because there is no other place to put it. In a way, it's good I guess. We didn't even have one until a few months ago, and since it's out of the way I don't use it too much.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y11...cture_4454.jpg

Close up of the hutch. I really got a good deal of it decluttered tonight.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y11...cture_4459.jpg

The nook (we call it The Gnomes' Nook because we're cute like that. Yep, those are awful metal folding chairs.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y11...cture_4455.jpg

The inside of the pantry closet. The light is from the flash. There's no light in there and it's really dark and hard to find stuff. The tippy top shelf has nothing (I don't know how that box of kashi got up there) and the other shelf has a bin with extra spices, a bin of teas, and cereal. Oh, and cutting boards.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y11...cture_4456.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y11...cture_4458.jpg

My goals (and I know it's late and I may not get to them by the end of the month):

1. Paint the trim. My husband painted the walls last January and I still haven't done the trim.

2. Curtains. At least for the door to the mudroom, and maybe for the nook as well.

3. Move out the fridge and stove and clean.

4. Ruthlessly declutter.

5. Somehow add a light to the pantry.

6. Clean the screens and windows.

7. Get some stainless steel cleaner stuff for the sink.

8. Buy sink mats so DH stops breaking glasses.

9. Buy/make wood cleaner and clean/polish the cabinets.

10. I don't know if this would work, but I would love to somehow add a shelf above the window of the nook. Also, I want to remove that extra bit of wood on the ledge. The kids keep leaning on it and it's going to break.

I'd love any thoughts for making my kitchen nicer.
post #51 of 78
11/20/08 at 1:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by annettemarie View Post
The nook (we call it The Gnomes' Nook because we're cute like that. Yep, those are awful metal folding chairs.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y11...cture_4455.jpg
I love your nook! I love the arch over it, and the view out the window! I think this style of curtain (shade?) would look really nice in the nook- my mom has this style on her kitchen windows and they look great. She keeps them up the whole time so you can see outside but the windows don't look naked. Were you going to make them or buy them? Either way, I'm sure you would be able to find a fabric that looks good in your kitchen. You could make a matching one for the door too.

What color were you going to paint your trim?
post #52 of 78
11/20/08 at 1:50am
annettemarie - That first pic makes your kitchen look so small and empty, but the other pics really show it's size, functionality and tons of cupboards (love the hutch). LOVE the nook! I'd throw in some wrap-around benches on the 3 walls with flip-up lids for storage
post #53 of 78
11/20/08 at 11:43am
annettemarie, I LOVE your kitchen. Please don't paint the nook trim! I like the natural wood look.

I second what SAHDS said. Some benches would be the perfect seating for that area, especially if you could find benches with storage inside. That was you could store linens or other items out of sight. You could sew some cushions for the benches to make it cozy too.

Gook luck with all your projects!
post #54 of 78
11/20/08 at 3:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by slsurface View Post
annettemarie You could sew some cushions for the benches to make it cozy too.
With a coordinating fabric to make curtains for the nook window

You could easily add a shelf above the window. Just throw some wood on some brackets and trim it (heck, stick-on velcro would work) with some pretty, wide rickrack or whatever you want.
post #55 of 78
11/20/08 at 3:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SAHDS View Post
With a coordinating fabric to make curtains for the nook window

You could easily add a shelf above the window. Just throw some wood on some brackets and trim it (heck, stick-on velcro would work) with some pretty, wide rickrack or whatever you want.
Yep!
post #56 of 78
11/20/08 at 3:18pm
Oh I like the bench idea! My mom has those in her kitchen, too- they cover the radiators so there is no storage but they are nice and a lot of people can squeeze on them when the family is all over.
post #57 of 78
11/20/08 at 8:14pm
Now you all have to come over and help me, LOL!

The paint on the wood in the nook is primer. But the trim color is "sea salt," which is an off-white.

I love that shade, although it's way out of my price range.

Where would I begin to look for benches?

Oh and thank you all! And thank you for ignoring the floor.
post #58 of 78
11/20/08 at 9:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by annettemarie View Post
Now you all have to come over and help me, LOL!

The paint on the wood in the nook is primer. But the trim color is "sea salt," which is an off-white.

I love that shade, although it's way out of my price range.

Where would I begin to look for benches?

Oh and thank you all! And thank you for ignoring the floor.
If you were in CA I would be all over that!

I know my mom made the shades so if you know how to sew, you could probably find a pattern to make it.

I googled "kitchen benches" and a lot of options came up- it just depends how much you want to spend and how much space is in the nook. Here's a simple one from Target. Here's another. If you know someone who could make some benches you could get custom ones!
post #59 of 78
11/21/08 at 2:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by annettemarie View Post

Oh and thank you all! And thank you for ignoring the floor.
We had the same time of floor in our kitchen when we moved in. To make matters worse, the orange floor was next to a wall with red and green wallpaper and yellow counter tops! :Puke The first three days we owned the house DH and I a new floor in and paintable wallpaper up! The only thing that we haven't had money or time to fix is the darn yellow counters (which you can see here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/archymo...7607150273471/).
post #60 of 78
11/23/08 at 9:49pm
Thanks for the kind words ladies.

Did everyone have a productive weekend? I had another cleaning weekend and got the kitchen done! I am so very proud of myself and now I have to really work hard on keeping it this way. Any tips on that?

Here are some pics. I will brave up and show the before but please don't judge. I WOH full time and still getting no sleep and not much help from DH

Before Shot 1 and 2

After Shot 1 and 2

My worst cabinet

This was after a little organization. I put spices/popcorn/snacks/teas into different baskets and jars. It looks great now and we have to limit our junk food to the one black box on the left

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